Swimmers back with a vengeance

Upgrades to Kwinana Recquatic, including fixing faulty tiling in the main pool, kept the club out of the water until the main pool reopened a few weeks ago.

Club vice president Shane Atkins said the club just kept its head above water in the meantime, with its membership close to falling below Swimming WA guidelines.

�In the past three months they have only had two weeks of water-based training,� he said.

�Under the guidance of their new head coach Calum Macgregor, the swimmers have managed to do the unthinkable and turn all the negatives into one big positive.

�The club entered into a competition just two weeks after getting back in the water and what happened next no one was expecting.�

Seventeen swimmers competed in 65 races with all achieving personal best times.

Seventeen junior state times were achieved, along with two age state times, and the squad picked up five bronze, two silver and three gold medals.

Mr Atkins said the club was held together by strong leadership and dedicated coaches including Jasmyne Gannaway and Natalie Pereira Ballard.

Mr Macgregor joined the club five weeks ago.

�Calum has said that without swimming he would not be here today as it kept him off the streets and out of trouble, and most of all it kept him healthy and fit, the benefits of which he still enjoys,� Mr Atkins said.

He said swimming offered mental and physical discipline for adults and children.

Kwinana Swimming Club has broadened its squad offerings to suit a range of people from masters, to fitness squads, performance squads and development squads.